On June 18, under the leadership of Prof. Charlie Shoemaker, winner of National Friendship Award, from University of California, Davis, a group of 19 students from UC Davis, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, came to Jiangnan University (JU) for a 4-week learning programA taste of China. In the welcoming address, Prof. Zhong Fang, Director of the International Office of JU, introduced the history of JU, the general information about Wuxi and places around. She also extended her wishes that the students could make full use of the opportunity to more profoundly get acquainted with Chinese culture and China in general so as to, after active interactions with the peers in China, integrate cultures of both countries,

For a general view of Chinese food, this learning program, composed of major-related courses and traditional culture-related courses, is to appreciate Chinese traditional food culture, modern food science and its prospects, the impact of traditional food culture upon food industry, and the relationship between traditional food culture and modern life style. Besides the courses, the students would also have chances to learn Chinese painting, to visit museums and companies in the local area.

Prof. Charlie Shoemaker, a well-known professor from the Department of Food Science and Technology of UC Davis, has been long promoting the communication and scientific collaboration between China and USA in the field of food science. From 1985 onwards, he has been coming to JU every year to give lectures and instruct students on their dissertations. In the year of 2008, Prof. Shoemaker was honored “National Friendship Award” by State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the highest honor to foreign experts from Chinese government for their outstanding contributions made in the cause of Chinese development. (Han)